Let bygones be bygones - Gareth Cliff

Gareth Cliff and his lawyer Eric Mabuza briefing journalists following his court victory against M-Net. Photo: ANA/ Getrude Makhafola

Gareth Cliff and his lawyer Eric Mabuza briefing journalists following his court victory against M-Net. Photo: ANA/ Getrude Makhafola

Published Jan 30, 2016

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Johannesburg - It is time to let bygones be bygones, move on, and let the show go on, reinstated Idols SA judge Gareth Cliff said on Saturday.

“I do not hold a grudge against M-Net or its parent companies… I think they have contributed in various ways and will continue to entertain South Africans for a long time,” Cliff told reporters at a briefing at the premises of his online radio station CliffCentral in Johannesburg.

“I say let bygones be bygones, and the show to go on. All of us have learnt something from this episode. It has been a difficult month for our country since those first idiotic, racist, and hurtful remarks were made by Penny Sparrow.”

He welcomed M-Net’s statement that it had reinstated him to the Idols SA judging panel after a high court ruling in his favour.

“I welcome M-Net’s statement confirming the court’s decision to reinstate me, but I am concerned they still insist they did nothing wrong. The road to reconciliation must cross the bridge of truth in order for anything to happen on the other side, and I do hope that one day M-Net will find it in their hearts to admit their mistakes like I admitted mine.”

Judge Caroline Nicholls ruled in the High Court in Johannesburg on Friday that a contract existed between M-Net and Cliff and instructed the pay channel to reinstate him on an interim basis. M-Net was also ordered to pay Cliff’s legal costs.

The company issued a statement on Friday evening confirming it would reinstate Cliff, as instructed by the court, and said it believed it had done the right thing in firing him from the show.

Cliff was sacked after he posted a comment on social media which suggested that former estate agent Sparrow’s racist rant constituted freedom of speech. Sparrow had earlier posted a comment on social media calling black people on Durban’s beaches “monkeys”.

When asked whether he would proceed to sue M-Net for R25 million for defamation and unlawful dismissal, Cliff said a decision had yet to be made.

His lawyer, Eric Mabuza, said Cliff had 60 days to decide whether to go ahead and sue or not.

“We still have that part of defamation still hanging; so we will be monitoring their [M-Net] conduct from now on… and really it will depend on how they behave for us to proceed with defamation. But we’re extending a hand of friendship and say let bygones be bygones,” said Mabuza.

Idols preliminary auditions started in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday.

African News Agency

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